Double-bed knitting machine



April 1969 K. TSCHUMPERLIN 3,440,839

DOUBLE-BED KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 6, 1967 United States Patent Office DOUBLE-BED KNITTING MACHINE Karl Tschiimperlin, Dietikon, Switzerland, assignor to 3 Paliz A.G., Zurich, Switzerland Filed Dec. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 688,510 Claims priority, applicatiogn gwitzerland, Dec. 15, 1966,

Int. Cl. D04b15/06, 15/24, 27/04 US. Cl. 66-64 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The subject of the present invention is a double-bed knitting machine according to the disclosure of US. Patent No. 3,326,017, in which each actuating member is provided with a depending extension which is under the influence of a spring and which extends through a slot in the needle bed, whereby the swinging movement of the actuating member that is produced by the spring is limited by the edge of the slot that is at the rearward side in the'direction of movement of the needles as well as by the corresponding forward edge of the slot.

In knitting machines, there is a universal requirement that a part of the actuating member be capable of being brought into an auxiliary neutral position in which it lies outside of the operating path of the control slide.

The present invention is directed to the problem of making this possible in a simple and advantageous manner with a double-bed knitting machine of the type hereinbefore described.

The double-bed knitting machine of the present invention is characterized in that each actuating member is provided with an elongated bearing aperture which extends at least approximately perpendicular to the needle bed, and with a catch which upon depression of the actuating member cooperates with one of the Walls of the slot, under the influence of the spring.

One embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view in which the actuating member is in a position in which it is still in the path of movement of the control slide.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view corresponding to that shown in FIG. 1, in which the actuating member in the position shown is no longer in the path of movement of the control slide.

In both figures, all additional parts which are not not necessary for understanding the present invention are omitted, and the control slide is "shown only diagrammatically as a plate which is partly broken away.

In FIG. the knitting needles'l are movable in the main needle =bed (not shown) thgough a guide comb 2 in which the sinkers 3 are pivotally mounted by means of their trunnions 3a. On the rear edge of each one of such sinkers is formed a toothed segment 3b which meshes with a corresponding toothed segment 4a which is provided on each of the actuating members 4. These actuating members have a common bearing support that consists of the axle S which extends through the guide comb, and instead of a round bearing aperature, these these actuating members have an elongated bearing aperture 6 which permits the desired movement in a direction approximately perpendicular to the needle bed. The actuating member 4 is moved vertically upward in the cor- 3,440,839 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 responding guide comb, whereupon the lever-like upper extension 4b is in the path of movement of the corresponding control slides 7 and 7a, which as they pass this actuating member 4, cause it to pivot counterclockwise about the supporting axle 5, thus causing simultaneous clockwise pivoting of the sinker 3 which is meshed with the actuating member 4. The return pivoting movement of each actuating member 4 is produced partly by the corresponding control slide 7a and also by an elbow spring 8, which presses each actuating member simultaneously upward and forward against a stop consisting of the edge of a slot in the bed plate 10. For retaining purposes, each actuating member is provided with a retaining groove or catch 9.

FIG. 2 shows practically the same parts as FIG. 1, including the knitting needles 1, the guide comb, the sinkers 3 with their trunnions 3a, the teeth 3b on the rear of the sinker, which mesh with the corresponding teeth 4a on the actuating member 4.

However, the actuating member has been depressed in opposition to the spring pressure, as permitted by the elongated bearing opening 6 on the axle 5, into a rest position, and accordingly into a neutral position, and is retained by means of the catch 9 on the actuating member 4 which engages the edge of the slot.

In this position of the actuating member 4, the diagrammatically illustrated control slide accordingly can no longer engage the lever-shaped extension 4b to rotate the sinker.

The present improvement is useful in a double-bed knitting machine of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,326,017. Further details of the construction and operation of the complete machine are disclosed in that patent. As disclosed in that patent, the control slide 7 carries one or more operating cams, one or more stopping cams and one or more tripping cams. During the travel of the control slide 7, whenever one of the stopping cams passes an actuating member 4, the stopping cam engages the lever-like projection 4b and thus depresses the actuating member 4 from the position shown in FIG. 1 into the position shown in FIG. 2.

As hereinbefore described, the actuating member 4, when in the position shown in FIG. 2, is out of the path of movement of the operating cams that are carried by the control slide 7. However, during the travel of the control slide 7 while the actuating member is in the position shown in FIG. 2, a tripping cam on the control slide which passes the actuating member engages the lever-like extension 4b from the rear, and thus rotates the actuating member 4 counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 2 to a sufficient extent to free the catch 9 from the bed plate 10. When that occurs the spring 8 returns the actuating member 4 to the position shown in FIG. 1.

Whenever one of the operating cams carried by the control slide 7 passes the actuating member 4 while the actuating member is in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 1, the operating cam moves the parts into the positions shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 1. As'soon as the operating cam has passed beyond the actuating member 4, the parts return, under the influence of the spring 8, to the positions shown in full lines in FIG. 1.

I claim:

1. A double-bed knitting machine in which each bed comprises a bed plate, a guide comb mounted on the bed plate, a plurality of sinkers pivoted in the guide comb, each of which is operatively connected to an actuating member that has a depending extension which projects through a slot in the needle bed and is connected to a spring tending to move such extension forward in the direction of movement of the needles, whereby the forward and rearward movements of the extension of the actuating member are limited by the front and rear edges of the slot, wherein the improvement comprises a bear- 2,909,049 10/1959 Rees 66-106XR ing opening in each actuating member which surrounds a 2,972,242 2/1961 Eberl 66-109 XR fixed axle and which extends at least approximately per- 3,024,633 3/1962 Kuntz 66-106 XR pendicular to the plane of the bed plate, and each actuat- 3 32 017 19 7' T hij li 6 64 ing member has a catch which, upon depression of the 5 3 3 2 195 1 19 Goisis 6 10 XR actuating member, cooperates with one of the edges of the Slot under the hchoh of the P RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner.

References Cited U S Cl XR UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 66-106, 104

2,762,213 9/1956 Schurich 66106 

